Canada to Open Embassy Office in Erbil

The new Canadian Ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, Mr Bruno Saccomani, said his country has a six-month plan to strengthen ties with the Kurdistan Region and aims to open an embassy office in Erbil next year.

In his meeting with President Masoud Barzani, Ambassador Saccomani announced plans to considerably increase bilateral ties between both sides. He said, ‘During this visit, I sense as if Canada is behind other countries and their strong ties with this Region. We recognise that our engagement is limited, but we are working on a six month plan to enhance relations in every field.’

The meeting also touched on the significant presence of Canadian universities in Jordan and their successful efforts in attracting prospective students. Ambassador Saccomani pledged to work with their representatives to promote more engagement with Kurdish students and universities.

‘The implementation of this plan will bring us to speed with the other countries that already have ties with Kurdistan,’ he added.

Ambassador Saccomani said that Canada recognises the important achievement by the Kurdish administration in delivering peace and stability to its people despite being in an unstable area. He also congratulated the authorities for the success of the recent parliamentary elections.

Speaking about the recent attacks in Erbil, President Barzani said that those who had planned the attack had been arrested and will be held accountable to the law. He underlined the strong cooperation between the security forces and the people and said they will not allow terrorists to disturb the well-known peace.